DNR sets 2025 open water walleye limit on Minnesota’s Upper Red Lake

Anglers fishing on Minnesota’s Upper Red Lake during the 2025 open-water season that starts on May 10 will have a five-walleye possession limit, with only one walleye over 17 inches allowed.

“Upper Red Lake female spawning walleyes have been managed at a level that has resulted in a number of strong year classes recently,” said Edie Evarts, Minnesota DNR area fisheries supervisor for Bemidji. “The summer regulation is an opportunity for anglers to keep abundant young walleyes while also maintaining the breeding fish at a level that continues to produce successful year classes.”

To continue producing the most successful year classes, enough female spawning walleyes need to be present to produce lots of newly hatched walleye, known as fry. But if there are too many spawning walleyes present, they produce too many fry. When fry are overabundant, the young fish don’t survive well because they are competing for a limited amount of food.

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The regulation that begins May 10 aims to keep the lake’s stock of female spawning walleyes in an ideal range by focusing angler harvest on the abundant immature fish under 17 inches, so future numbers of spawning walleye are not higher than desired. The regulation also aims to make sure overall harvest does not exceed agreed upon levels.

“We now have 20 years of data from managing the lake since the walleye fishery reopened in 2006 and a good idea of the impact of fishing regulations from our annual angler creel surveys,” Evarts said.

Walleye management on Red Lake is a collaborative effort between the Red Lake Nation and the Minnesota DNR, governed by a joint harvest plan revised by the Red Lakes Fisheries Technical Committee in 2015. Winter harvest regulations for 2025-2026 will be determined after the summer fishing season and completion of fall assessment netting.

The Upper Red Lake Citizen Advisory Committee reviews walleye harvest totals and regulation options and provides recommendations for the state waters of Upper Red Lake. Complete Upper Red Lake fishing regulations are available on the Minnesota DNR website.

Anglers are reminded to protect Upper Red Lake and all Minnesota waters from aquatic invasive species by cleaning and draining watercraft and equipment and disposing of unwanted bait in the trash. A decontamination station is available at the Tamarac River Big Bog Public Water Access, referred to locally as Homestead Park.